Due to the unique environment in which they are used, aircraft seat structures must meet a number of requirements. For example, such seat structures must satisfy government requirements involving aircraft safety. In addition, such seat structures must meet relatively rigid weight guidelines in order to provide satisfactory economical operation of an airplane in which they are used while, at the same time, occupying a minimum of space and still providing maximum passenger comfort and convenience.
The typical mechanism to adjust either the seat back position or the seat position relative to both linear and rotational movement is located inside the armrest of the aircraft seat and transmits control information to the seat base and back to adjust the position of the seat. A user operated hand control is fixed on the outside and near the top of the arm rest. One or more control cables lead from the hand control, inside the armrest, and exit the lower portion of the armrest and continue to the seat base or the seat back to a series of cams and clutch plates to actuate the movement of the seat.
This configuration has many drawbacks. One main drawback is the seat assembly process. The aircraft seat frame is first assembled as well as the mechanical workings. The seat control system is fully assembled and tested. The seat is then dissembled for upholstering. This includes removing the armrests from the seat frame. Once the seat is reassembled after upholstering, the seat control system is out of alignment, and must be again configured to government and manufacturer specifications. Reconfiguring the seat control system is specialized work that is costly and time consuming. This is particularly so since the all of the components are now upholstered.
Certain seat control mechanisms avoid this issue by not embedding the control system inside the arm rest. U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,916 to Chardon. FIG. 3 illustrates sold linkage seat back control system, but the lever 34, is not inside an armrest, but attached directly to the seat base. While this solves certain issues, this seat is not used in typical commercial or private aircraft.
The present invention solves the problem of seat control systems in an armrest. Additionally, the present invention allows for adjustable armrest positions during seat assembly using identical parts and a modular design.